We were thrilled that Jean Kilbourne introduced her newest Media Education Foundation documentary, Killing Us Softly 4, at the SPARK Summit and that MEF became an early SPARK partner!
The Media Education Foundation produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political, and cultural impact of American mass media. They have a series of films examining media images of women and girls and a long-standing commitment to sparking awareness and activism around sexualization, idealized beauty, and body objectification.
This SPARKit (which can be found here) pairs clips from popular MEF films Killing Us Softly 4 and Generation M with discussion questions and activities from Hardy Girls Healthy Women’s From Adversaries to Allies curriculum. The goal? To give middle school and high school girls the tools to think critically about media images and messages, and explore the impact commercial stories have on their lives.
These clips and free downloadable discussion questions give girls — and their parents, facilitators, and teachers — an opportunity to explore issues of body image and sexualization within the context of cultural and commercial messages. The “Write a Protest Letter” activity offers girls another way to talk back!
In honor of our partnership, we’re excited to announce that MEF is offering discounted pricing on these and a number of other films about girls, including Slim Hopes, What a Girl Wants, and The Gloucester 18.
So SPARKit with MEF, and if you write a protest letter please send us a copy at sparksummit@gmail.com. We’ll let our partners know and encourage them to join you!